Dalvin Cook Fantasy

After sitting out last week and having his playing status up in the air all this week, Dalvin Cook's fantasy managers were rightfully anxious heading into the Minnesota Vikings matchup against a stout Carolina Panthers defense. Cook laid all those doubts to rest as he rumbled his way to 140 yards on 29 carries, including a third-quarter 16-yard touchdown. Cook briefly left the game after taking a hit, but he quickly returned and finished the game. In his post-game interview, he mentioned that despite a strong performance that he is still not quite 100 percent healthy. Cook will have two weeks to fully recover as the Vikings head into their Week 7 bye.

Oct. 17th • 5:40 PM

Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook (ankle) was removed from the final injury report for Week 6 against the Carolina Panthers. Cook put in a full practice on Thursday and was trending in the right direction after sitting out in Week 5. The 26-year-old has missed two of the last three games and had a season-low nine carries for only 34 yards in the Week 4 loss to the Cleveland Browns. It remains to be seen if he'll return to a full workload this Sunday, but he needs to be returned to all starting fantasy lineups. Cook had at least 20 carries in each of the first two weeks before tweaking his ankle. The fact that he was taken off the final injury report altogether is a good sign for him returning to more of a regular workload in this run-first offense. With Cook back, it'll be hard to trust backup Alexander Mattison for any standalone fantasy value this week.

Oct. 15th • 1:56 PM

Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook (ankle) returned to a full practice on Thursday after being limited on Wednesday. Cook missed the Week 5 win over the Detroit Lions, but it looks like he'll be back this Sunday against the Carolina Panthers. Mattison, meanwhile, returned to a limited practice after sitting out on Wednesday. Cook has missed two of the last three games after tweaking his right ankle in Week 2, and he wasn't productive in his one game since the injury. A full practice for Cook should mean that he'll be closer to 100 percent and ready for a full workload. The 26-year-old should be returned to all starting lineups, but temper expectations against a Panthers defense that has allowed the second-fewest fantasy points per game to RBs so far in 2021. Mattison could see more work again behind Cook, but he's only playable most weeks if Cook is sitting.

Oct. 14th • 5:21 PM